The Hill City Ringnecks will venture away from home to square off against the St. Francis Indians at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Hill City has been dominant on offense recently, having racked up an incredible 178 points over their last three contests.
If Hill City beats St. Francis with 58 points on Friday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two matchups with that exact score. The Ringnecks simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Rawlins County 58-20. Considering the Ringnecks have won three games by more than 35 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Hill City's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Tate Balthazor, who rushed for 167 yards and three touchdowns on only 11 carries, and also threw for 202 yards and three TDs while completing 77.8% of his passes. Balthazor's longest rush was for an impressive 60 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Tyler Ashbaugh was Balthazor's top target, picking up 15 receiving yards.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Hill City was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 359 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 153 rushing yards in nine consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, St. Francis came up short against Decatur Community on Friday and fell 38-28. The defensive woes were uncharacteristic for the Indians, who until this matchup were averaging 11.5 points allowed.
Hill City will have to contain Lucas Raile as he made an impact in St. Francis' last game. He rushed for 61 yards and a pair of scores, and also threw for 234 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Dayton Fromholtz also helped out with an impressive 192 receiving yards.
Hill City pushed their record up to 3-1 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season. The road wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.0 points over those games. As for St. Francis, their loss was their first of the season and also makes their record 3-1.
Everything came up roses for Hill City against St. Francis in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, as the team secured a 76-36 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Ringnecks since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
